By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Kevin S. O’Brien, Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Public Affairs

LAKE RONKONKOMA, N.Y. (NNS) — Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced on May 7 at a ceremony in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., the name of the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be USS Michael Murphy. Designated as DDG 112, the name honors Lt. Michael Murphy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wing, in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

“Michael Murphy’s name which will be forever synonymous with astonishing courage under fire will now be associated with one of the U.S. Navy’s most technologically advanced, most powerful and most capable warships,” Winter said.

Michael Murphy’s hometown of Patchogue, N.Y. held a dedication ceremony memorializing a park bearing Murphy’s name. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park contains a black granite wall dedicated to the men lost in Operation Red Wing with each member’s name inscribed. In the center of the memorial, a black granite stone is embedded into the floor of the plaza bearing the picture of Murphy and his Medal of Honor.

A Navy SEAL, Murphy lead a four-man team tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan, when they came under fire from a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position.

Mortally wounded while exposing himself to enemy fire, Murphy knowingly left his position of cover to get a clear signal in order to communicate with his headquarters. While being shot at repeatedly, Murphy calmly provided his unit’s location and requested immediate support for his element. He returned to his cover position to continue the fight until finally succumbing to his wounds.

“Every Sailor who crosses the brow, every Sailor who hears the officer of the deck announce the arrival of the commanding officer, and every Sailor who enters a foreign land representing our great nation will do so as an honored member of USS Michael Murphy,” Winter said.

USS Michael Murphy will be one of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced, state-of-the-art warships in the fleet. With the combination of Aegis, the vertical launching system, and advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea.

Utilizing a gas turbine propulsion system, USS Michael Murphy will be able to operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.

USS Michael Murphy will be the 62nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. She is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, displaces approximately 9,200 tons, has a crew size of 323 (23 officers and 300 enlisted) and she will make speed in excess of 30 knots. (http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=36931)